| Home | Multimedia Resources | Quick Help |
Overview:
How We Conference
Student Writers
From the very beginning of our American Studies course, we have incorporated a significant amount of revision and peer editing into designing the process in which our students write. Our students needed to be taught where to grasp the meaning in a text, where to stop and refocus, and where to experiment with ideas and think divergently about their course readings, research, and particularly with respect to their own writings. Experienced writers play with their ideas and see writing as a way of learning. So in our American Studies curricular design we ask them to write (play) a lot and view their writing as an evolving, everyday practice. Since the American Studies is an advanced college credit level course, the writing is mostly argumentative. In our course, most of the work is student generated, and our students won’t get an “A” on any paper, digital or otherwise, unless it produces an original idea. An original idea starts with a thesis. Initially we focus on low pressure activities, such as brainstorming
or responding to primary sources. We include time for lots of early, “crazy”
drafts, then we help the students to narrow their topic and balancing
evidence and argument. We set high expectations and focus the majority
of our feedback (both written and spoken) on higher level thinking priorities.
We set up a regular schedule of individual conferencing, peer reviews,
and collaboration. On longer papers, we give our students time to change
their minds later. Students need to see writing as a social process and
not as a solitary experience. In order to do this, students must write
frequently and get feedback. |
|
Prewriting
Writing a Thesis Statement
Drafting and Revision
| Using Quotations Source material and analysis needs to be incorporated logically and insightfully into your papers |
|
Evaluation
Evaluation, Assessment, Grading, Norming
| WHAT IS REVISION? Revision is "a process of making changes throughout the writing of a draft, changes that work to make the draft congruent with a writer's changing intentions." |
|
| HOW MUCH DO STUDENTS REVISE? For the novice writer, however, revision appears to be synonymous with editing or proofreading. Students seldom make more global changes, such as starting over, rewriting most of a paper, adding or deleting parts of the paper, or adding or deleting ideas. |
Grammar, Usage, and Punctuation |
|
|
|
Wonderful Sites with Tons of Information for Students and Teachers
Research
"There's a pretty simple rule when it comes to the net.
If you didn't write it, and you want to reproduce it, ask the
creator. Most people don't really need to know much more than
this. If you do, check the other documents."
- by Brad
Templeton, http://www.templetons.com/brad/copyright.html
|
|
|
|
Tips * (Using) Adverbs
and Adjectives * Title
Capitalization |
Writers.com Resources: |
Comparison Contrast
|
|
|
| Webster University Writing Center Academic Resources University Libraries |
UM--St. Louis Writing Lab Academic Resources |
|
Saint Louis University |
|
|
UM-Columbia
|
|
|
|
Publication: Writing Contests
Cooperating School District Digital Storytelling Contests
|
|
|
|
The
Albany Poetry Workshop Kalliope: online poetry
workshop. A good source for exercises to keep trAce Online Writing Community The WeLL Poetry Conference Write Net: WriteNet: an unbelievably
valuable resource for writers and teachers interested in teaching imaginative
writing! |
Final Advice: Since the text now must contain both graphics and sound, you'll need to include in your course website links to video, graphic art, sound, and multimedia expressions of knowledge.